Improvement in seed-planters



J. D. WILLOUGHBY.

' Grain Drill.

No. 6,504. Panemed June 5. 1849.

N- PETERS, PNOTO-LITNDGRAPNER. WASHINGTON. D Q

ATENT FFICE.

JAMES D. \VJLLOUGHBY, OF OHAMBERSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT lN SEED-PLANTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 6,504, dated June 5,1849.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I,JAMES 1).WrLLoUcHBY, of Ohambersburg, in the countyof Franklin and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Seed- Drills, of which the following is a fulland exact description, reference being bad to the annexed drawings-ofthe same, making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a topView of the machine, that part above the dotted line w 00 of Figs. 2 and3 being represented in red lines. Fig. 2 is a vertical section throughtheline 2 2 of Fig.1. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the line 3 3of Fig. 1. Fig. l: is a vertical sectional View of the hopper anddischarging apparatus, taken through the lines 4 4 of Figs. 1 and 5.Fig. 5

is a view of a detached portion of the bottom.

of the hopper and apparatus for discharging the seed.

The same letters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the frame, which supports thehopper to contain the seed, the beams, with their teeht, to make thefurrows to receive the seed, and the machinery for working the same.This frame is mounted upon an axle,B, which is supported by two wheels,0. To one of the wheels a camwheel, D, is secured for giving motion tothe slides which discharge the grain from the hopper.

E is the tongue, to which the horses that draw the machine areharnessed. The rear end of the tongue is secured to a transverse piece,a, which slides in a box, I), backward and forward across the frame. Tolessen its friction rollers a are secured in either of its ends. To theend of the tongue projecting behind the transverse bars a a link, 0, ishinged, connectingit to thelever F, which turns on a fulcrum, d, andprojects behind the frame far, enough to be conveniently received by thehand of the attendant of the machine, who usually walks behind it. Onthe rear end of the frame a series of notches, e, are made for thepurpose of receiving and holding the rear end of the lever, which whenpushed to the right moves the tongue to the left side of the machine,and when pushed to the left moves the tongue to the right side. \Vhenparallel to the side of the machine the tongue is in the middle. Themoving of the tongue to one side of the frame causes the machine toincline in an opposite course, and thus a very convenient means ofguiding it in any required course is furnished, whereby it is renderedmuch easier to keep the rows of grain either straight or parallel.

Gr is the hopper to contain the grain, and, being divided into twocompartments, will also sow finely-divided manure at the same time. Inthe bottom of the hopper an aperture is made for the discharge of thegrain, immediately over each tooth for making the furrows, and thedischarged grain is conveyed through the shank of the tooth, which istubular.

Between the bottom of the hopper and the adjustable slides g thealternating discharger his placed, havinga series of apertures, i, madein it, immediately beneath the apertures f in the bottom of the hopper.The apertures iare moved backward and forward under the holes f in thehopper, from which they are filled with. seed, which they dischargealternately through the apertures m and a in the slides. The series ofcams l' on the wheel D successively strike the inclined plane 70 on theprojecting end of the discharger h to push it in, and it is drawn outagain by means of the spring 0, and as these alternations of the slidesh are uniform for any given distance over which the machine passes therewill be a uniform discharge of the seed at all times, unless some meansof adjustment be provided; but as different kinds of seed, and the sameseed under different circumstances, require to be sown in varyingquantity, I have accordingly rendered the holes t in the slide itadjustable by making the slide in two parts bya dividing-line of theform of a series of steps, whereby whenever one is drawn back from theother a space is left open at each step, and when they are caused toapproach these holes are closed. The two parts-are adjusted by thescrews 19, so that the dischargers can be made larger or smaller atpleasure.

The shares or cultivating-points are attached to beams K, twomodifications of which are shown, which are hinged to the frame A,either before or behind the point at which the standard of the share isattached to them. The standard of the shares L are hinged by their upperends to the respective beams K. Immediately beneath the beam a link, g,is hinged to the standard which connects it to the lower end of thelever r, to which it is also hinged. This lever passes through the beamK, turning on a fulcrum, s. The upper end of this lever extends througha mortise in the bar M, by which, when necessary, it is lifted, togetherwith the other levers, to raise the beam for the purpose of lifting thepoints out of the ground. The upper end of this leverris provided with acatch to hook it upon the board t. The bar 11, turning on the arms 22,when alternated detaches the levers 1" when 1t is desired to drop downthe beams and teeth. Notches are made in the upper end of one side ofthe levers 7', into which the spring-detents to take to hold down theteeth at any required depth in the ground in order to make the furrowsof the desired depth. The levers 7' have a projection, 00, on their rearside for the purpose of drawing out the slides g, through which theypass whenever they are raised, so that when the tooth is withdrawn fromthe ground the discharge of seed will be suspended, notwithstanding theslide it continues to play. The slides g, which pass under theaperturesin the hopper to close them, and thus stop the discharge ofseed, are driven forward whenever they are released from the projectionon the back of the levers r by the springs y, Fig. 5, so that the momenta tooth begins to make a furrow the discharge of seed also begins. Whenthe tooth is raised up by the lever 1', from the peculiar manner inwhich this lever and link q act upon the standard, the point is drawnback into the position represented by the red lines in Fig. 3, whichwillinstantly detach any accumulation of roots, sods, grass, or otherobstructions that may have collected thereon, and as each lever extendsback far enough to he reached by the hand of the driver it is raised bythe handle 2 to detach obstructions from the point and then loweredagain instantly, and thus the several teeth are kept clean withoutarresting the progress of the machine.

Several cam-wheels D, differently arranged, may be kept on hand, so asto adapt the machine for planting seed in hills near or distant, or forother purposes.

The several parts of the machine may be constructed and arranged asherein described or in any other manner suitable to produce the sameresults, and it may be made in its different parts of any convenient andsuitable material.

Having thus described the construction and operation of my improvedseed-drill, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is-

1. The manner of guiding the machine by changing the position of thetongue, substantially in the manner herein set forth.

2. The combination, substantially as described,of the leverr and linkqwith the beam K and tooth L, for the purpose of drawing back the pointof the tooth at the same time the beam is raised, whereby the toothiseasily kept clear of sods, roots, and other obstructions, and the dangerof its getting broken diminished.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 7th day ofMarch, A. D. 1849.

J. D. WILLOUGHBY.

Witnesses:

S. W.'WOOD, P. H. WATSON.

